At the crossroads

9.30 am - 10.30 am

Opening remarks by the organizers. 

10.00 am - 11.00 am

Paraphilic disorder, hypersexuality, illegal sexual behavior, sexual assault, sexual violent behavior are some of the concepts that are used to define sexual deviance. They suggest that there is consensus about the core characteristics of sexual deviance. But is that really the case?

After critically reviewing different definitions and classification systems of sexual deviance, it will be argued that until now the scientific community has not been able to give a valid definition of sexual deviance and that may be it is impossible to define sexual deviance unanimously. What does this imply for diagnostics and therapeutic interventions? And is a judicial classification of sexual deviance a good alternative for psychiatric and sexological classifcations of sexual deviance?

After reviewing the current definitions and classifications systems, it will be argued that we cannot and should not escape value judgments in our definitions/classifications of sexual deviance. Instead, we should be open about our values and realize that making our values explicit makes a sound definition of sexual violence not impossible. Furthermore, it will be argued that the core concepts that are dominant in current definitions of sexual deviance are: atypicality, social deviance, distress and sexual consent. In our view no sexual consent and distress should be the leading principles for defining sexual deviance. However, distress or no sexual consent do not have necessarily the same diagnostic and therapeutic consequences. 

11.00 am - 11.30 am

Time for some energizing coffee, refreshments, and snacks! 

11.30 am - 12.30 pm

The aim of the talk is to present an overview of the neurobiological substrates of problems observed in sexual offenders. Specifically, it is suggested here that sexual offenders may present with functional abnormalities in the neuroanatomical structures that underpin successful emotion control, and other areas of function. In the second half of this paper recent advances in the understanding of potential therapeutic practices that may address problems in emotion regulation, and other dysfunction that have been noted among sexual offenders, will be outlined.

12.30 pm - 1.30 pm

Sandwiches and interesting posters. 

1.30 pm - 2.30 pm

There is a long history of developing and using indirect methods of sexual interest. Especially in clinical and forensic settings, it is assumed that some individuals do not want to truthfully report about their sexual interests or are not capable to do so. In consequence, there is a long tradition to develop and use indirect measures that can – at least in principle – circumvent both problems. One mayor measurement approach is based on psychophysiological measures like penile plethysmography (PPG). An equally long research tradition has produced a considerable number of latency-based measures for the assessment of sexual interest. The present paper will give an overview of these measures, discuss the underlying psychological mechanisms, their psychometric properties, and a number of misconceptions surrounding these measures. Finally, the paper will cover recent empirical research demonstrating the usefulness of latency-based measures for the assessment of deviant sexual interest in sex-offender therapy, forensic contexts, and basic research on the nature of deviant and non-deviant sexual preference.

2.30 pm - 3.30 pm

The pervasiveness of risk assessment in correctional decision-making necessitates a better understanding of what is being measured by risk scales. This presentation will discuss the nature of risk and current developments and priorities in the risk assessment field. Risk is a continuous dimension, which means that risk assessment is a prognostic task as opposed to a diagnostic task. Additionally, risk scales are fundamentally criterion-referenced as opposed to norm-referenced, which affects how they should be validated. Different approaches to risk assessment will be discussed, with a summary of survey data on what is used/preferred by practitioners. Different types of risk factors can be assessed (including static, dynamic, and protective factors), but these factors are likely measuring the same underlying risk-relevant constructs. Lastly, the types of information provided by risk assessment scales will be discussed. The way forward in offender risk assessment is in improving our understanding of risk-relevant constructs and developing greater consistency in how we summarize information from risk scales. This presentation will conclude by highlighting areas in need of more research.  

3.30 pm - 4.00 pm

Time for coffee, refreshments and snacks!

4.00 pm - 5.00 pm

For the past decades, research regarding sexual offending has been largely dominated by risk assessment, focusing on the empirical identification of reliable predictors of sexual recidivism. The results are impressive and proved helpful in combating sex offender recidivism, most specifically by providing a method for optimal treatment referral: higher risk offenders need more treatment. Gradually, the focus has shifted from static risk prediction to the assessment of dynamic risk factors to determine treatment focus and to provide means for treatment evaluation. However, besides the assessment of correlating dynamic risk factors before and after treatment, clinical practice is in need of theory driven risk assessment or “psychologically meaningful risk factors” (Mann, Hanson, & Thornton, 2010), implying the determination of risk factors connected to (re)offending behaviour through theoretically explained mechanisms. This would provide clinical practice not only with information on what risk factors to target in treatment but also give better indications on how to target them. This presentation will explore the need and possibilities for making the connection between dynamic risk factors, causal theory and treatment interventions. Parameters of sexual offending behaviour will be addressed that force us to look in the direction of normal sexual development to find answers to our questions. A possible model is outlined, along with empirical support from the existing literature regarding its applicability on sexual offending behaviour. Finally, the usefulness of this causal theory is illustrated with reference to two current research projects of which preliminary results will be presented.

*See also: preconference workshops*

5.00 pm - 6.30 pm

Bubbles, delicious snacks and inspiring conversations with colleagues! 

7.30 pm - ...

A sociable dinner with the experts and colleagues!